Air mattress construction



Oct. 5, 1948. H. o. VEACH AIR MATTRESS CONSTRUCTION Filed Aug. 26, 1946 156122? 0. V-Ach',

INVENTOR. By w lr ,4! E

ATTORNEY.

Patented Oct. 5, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Am MAr'raEss ooNs'riaUo'rIoN Harry 0. Veach, Los Angeles, Calif. Application August 2.6, 194.6, Serial No. 693,053

3 Claims.

This invention pertains to a pneumatic mat tress and is particularly directed to a type of mattress which is capable of being used on the ground and on an ordinary bedstead without the necessity of having some external or additional substantially continuous supporting structure beneath the mattress. Generally stated, the present invention relates to a pneumatic bed or mattress having twomajor portions; a lower portion. of relatively rigid form and a top composed of a pliant, impervious sheet material, the top portion being firmly connected to upstanding side walls of the bottom.

It is recognized that heretofore many types of so-called air mattresses, air cushions and the like, have been devised and used. One common form of air mattress comprises a plurality of parallel inflatable tubes of rubberized cloth or other pliant, impervious material, such tubes being nested in parallel relation within an outer bag or covering. Mattresses of this type are not particularly comfortable and can only be used-on the ground, the floor or some other flat continuous supporting surface. They cannot be supported on a pair of spaced trestles or by their edge-s. They cannot, for example, be supported, by a normal bed frame because of the bendable or pliant character of the entire mattress.

There are many advantages to an air mattress which are not obtained by the use of springs or ordinary cotton filled mattresses. supported upon bed springs. The present invention allows all of the advantages of an air mattress to be obtained without the disadvantages heretofore encountered in normal prior air mattresses.

An object of the present invention, therefore, is to disclose and provide a pneumatic bed or mattress which is sufliciently rigid and self-supporting to permit its use in a normal bed frame or mounted upon trestles or other side or end supports, without detracting from the resiliency and conforming characteristics of an air mattress.

A further object of the invention is to disclose and provide a collapsible mattress or pneumatic bed of novel characteristics.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed disclosures of certain exemplary forms embodying the novel arrangement and construction. For purposes of illustration reference will be had to the appended drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a pneumatic bed made in accordance with this invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged transverse section through a portion of the bed shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view partly in section of a modified form of construction.

The form of bed shown in Figs. 1 and 2 comprises a bottom portion including a relatively rigid bottom it provided with short upstanding side and end walls H, l2, and the like. The upper edge of the side walls may be provided with an outstanding flange [3. The bottom it may be longitudinally ribbed as at M in order to impart rigidity to the bottom.

The top portion is composed of a pliant, im-

pervious sheet material generally indicated at i5,-

such sheet material having downwardly extending sides such as H3. Means are provided for attaching the lower margins of the sides 16 to the upper margins of the side walls Ii, l2, etc, of the lower portion Iii. Such means may, for example, comprise a metallic rim, sealing or gasket ['8 (preferably provided with an upturned inner edge [9) capable of overlying the flange 43 carried between side walls of the lower portion. Both the sealing l8 and the flange l3 are perforated or ported at suitable spaced intervals so as to permit the threaded shafts of bolts 20 to pass therethrough and through the intervening mar ginal edge of the sides It of the top portion so that a. firm air-tight seal may be made by the tightening of the wing nuts 2|. It will be noted that the top portion is connected to the edges of the flange H of the rigid bottom II] at a point spaced below the plane of the top It, thereby providing a soft, resilient, edge area to the upper portions of the mattress which soft edge area will not cause injury if a person were to rapidly lower his weight thereon.

It has also been found highly desirable to provide spaced means connecting the top IE to the bottom l0, thereby creating a tufted effect to the upper surface of the mattress. The inner surface of the bottom It may be provided with a plurality of spaced attachment means such as lugs, eyelets, or the like, 24. The inner surface of the top It may also be provided with loops 25 cemented, vulcanized or otherwise attached thereto at intervals correlated'to the spacing of the lugs 2d. The loops 25 and the lugs 24 are then connected as by means of a cord or other pliant, nonelastic, readily bendable connector 26, which limits the upward displacement of the top l5 with respect to the bottom l0.

One of the side walls or end walls, such as H, is provided with an air inlet valve 21 through by the interconnected bottom portion and the top portion of the mattress.

It will be noted that the entire mattress may be supported by its edges, as, for example, by the bed frame indicated in dash lines at 28, thereby obviating the necessity of supporting the entire bottom surface of themattress with slats, boards or other paraphernalia.

Fig. 3 shows a modification in which a different form of connection between the top and bottom portions of the mattress is used. Moreover, Fig. 3 illustrates the use of a segmental lower portion to the mattress. The bottom, for example, may be made of telescopic elements such as the elements 3!! and 3!, each of these elements including a substantially horizontal bottom and upstanding side walls such as the side wall 32. These telescopic portions may be connected together by means of machine screws or bolts and nuts, a suitable gasket being introduced at the joints. Moreover, the side walls 32 need not have a horizontally disposed flange; instead they may be provided with a rib or ribs extending in a plane parallel to the bottom as indicated at 53. The sealing strip may be also in sections and be provided with an indentation or indentations correlated to the ribs 33 so that when the marginal edge of the side N5 of the top I5 is compressed between the sealing strip 34 and the ribbed side walls 32, a tight joint is formed. Suitable wing nuts or other fastening means may be employed for suitably compressing the sealing strip 34 against the edge portions of the top member.

The bed of Fig. 3 is particularly adapted for use by campers or whenever it is desired to have a readily portable pneumatic bed.

It is to be understood that the top element l5 may be made of rubberized cloth or other 'impregnated or laminated fabric or composition which is pliant, conformable and substantially air-tight or impervious. Various modifications and changes may be made in the arrangement, means whereby an air-tight connection is made between the top element l5 and the substantially rigid bottom portion of the device being provided. The rigid bottom need not be provided with upstanding side walls but may consist of a flat, relatively rigid, ribbed bottom plate, the lower edge of the top element being suitably attached to the margins of such bottom plate.

Variations may also be made in the manner in which the various spaced connectors such as 25 are attached to either the top element, the bottom element, or both. In Fig. 3 the bottom connecting means are shown in the form of a wire 35 provided with spaced loops, the wire being spot-welded to the inner surface of the bottom member 3!! while the loops form points of connection with the connectors 26. Various other changes, modifications and adaptations will readily occur to those skilled in the art. All changes and modifications coming within the scope of the appended claims are embraced thereby.

I claim:

1. A pneumatic mattress comprising: a lower portion including a plurality of interlocking rigid elements, each including a bottom and short upstanding side walls; means for connecting said elements; a top portion composed of a pliant, impervious sheet material having downwardly extending sides; means for connecting the sides of the top portion to the side walls of the interlocking elements at a zone spaced from the plane of the top to form an air-tight seal therebetween, said top portion and lower elements cooperating to form an air-tight chamber and a plurality of spaced, non-elastic but pliant connectors attached to the inner surfaces of the bottoms of the elements and to the pliant top portion to maintain the top in a plane spaced above said bottom and above the upper margins of the short side walls of said bottom.

2. A pneumatic mattress having a self-sustaining bottom capable of being supported by its end portions, comprising: a relatively rigid, selfsustaining bottom; a top portion composed of a pliant, impervious sheet material having downwardly extending sides, means for connecting the lower marginal edges of said downwardly extending, pliant sides to marginal edges of said bottom to form an air-tight seal therebetween, said connecting means being located appreciably below the level of the major portion of said top, said top and bottom portions cooperating to form an air-tight chamber; and inlet means carried by one of said portions for supplying and retaining air in said chamber with the pliant top in spaced relation to the rigid bottom and above marginal edges of such bottom.

3. A pneumatic mattress having a self-sustaining bottom capable of being supported by its end portions, comprising: a relatively rigid, selfsustaining bottom; a top portion composed of a pliant, impervious sheet material having downwardly extending sides, means for connecting the lower marginal edges of said downwardly extending, pliant sides to marginal edges of said bottom to form an air-tight seal therebetween, said connecting means being located appreciably below the level of the major portion of said top, said top and bottom portions cooperating to form an airtight chamber; inlet means carried by one of said portions for supplying and retaining air in said chamber with the pliant top in spaced relation to the rigid bottom and above marginal edges of such bottom; and a plurality of spaced, nonelastic but pliant connectors attached to the inner surfaces of the bottom and the pliant top.

HARRY O. VEACH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 362,532 Patterson May 10, 1887 511,686 Curlin Dec. 26, 1893 569,712 Hardesty Oct. 20, 1896 722,135 Nunan Mar. 3, 1903 1,755,205 Christensen Apr. 22, 1930 

